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Ski Trails The monthly newsletter for Suburban Ski Club January, 2016
Website: http://www.suburbanskiclub.org
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Suburban Ski Club Members,
Happy New Year!
Like an annoying little brother, El Nino has
brought us some unwelcome balmy weather and
forced our ski season to get off on a very slow
start. However, we are ramped up and ready to
make up for lost time. Because of the lack of
snow we needed to cancel our trip to Peek ‘n
Peak on Sunday, January 3, but all systems are
go for our Holiday Valley trip on Sunday,
January 10 with a solid week of snow-making
weather and natural snowfall in the forecast.
Sign up soon and join us on our first exciting
outing of this season.
Be sure to read John Danis’ Trips and Tours Report later in the newsletter where he provides
some great resources for assessing ski conditions and gives you other valuable information as we
head into the 2016 ski season. I am excited we are getting underway and I hope you are as well.
At our membership meeting on January 14th, we will ask you to support adding a 2nd Member-
At-Large officer to our Executive Board to help us run our club. Over the last year we have
enjoyed growth both in membership and club activities and to keep this momentum going, we need
help. So, the Executive Board has proposed adding a second at large position. Jack Ganz, our
retiring Chair of Trips and Tours, has been appointed by the Executive Board to serve out the term
for the first Member at Large position and we are delighted to have Jack as a club officer. You
will find details about the Board’s proposed ByLaw change to add a second at large member later
in this newsletter. If you want to be nominated as one of our club’s officers and become part of
our vibrant, forward-thinking organization or if you want to suggest someone else, you will soon
be receiving information on how to submit nominations to the Nominating Committee.
We owe Joe Sullivan a big debt of gratitude for planning yet another wonderful Holiday Party for
us and to Mary Ellen and Ed Noss for giving Joe a hand. Almost 70 members attended and were
treated to a festive venue at Lakeside Yacht Club with cocktails, dinner, a live band and holiday
songs played by Melinda Kellerstrass and Jack Ganz on the French horn and June Kelley on
the clarinet. A number of lucky guests won great prizes, including gift certificates from Geiger’s
and Aster’s, a comfy SSC fleece vest as well as wine and gift cards. See Joe’s photo essay on this
grand party at the end of this newsletter.
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I’d like to welcome the following new members to Suburban Ski Club: Megan Budoi, Kristin
Colbert, Renata Jenkins, Mary Molchan, Wendy Pease, Richard Schwartz and Fredrick
Wentz. We are looking forward to meeting you and hope to see you soon on one of our many
ski trips this year.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to SSC members Don and Jenny Haldi whose house suffered
some major fire damage during the holidays. Don and Jenny are OK but their home is not and
they will be displaced for several months.
I hope to see you at our membership meeting on Thursday, January 14. Cliff Lewis will be giving
a presentation on our new online trip reservation system so you can learn more about how to use
this wonderful new tool. Be sure to read Cliff’s article later in this newsletter for more information
on using the on line reservation system.
Beth Silverman, President of SSC
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
We begin the New Year with another edition of our series recognizing the birthdays of SSC
members. (Don't worry, we do not publish the year of your birth, just the month and day!) Our
data base of birthdays is far from complete. Please remember to include your birthday on your
membership form. It is not necessary to give the year of your birth if you do not wish to do so, but
we need your day and month in order to recognize your birthday. Here are the January birthdays
we have on file:
Nahid Ameri (1/8), Cynthia Bacon (1/25), Jim Baker (1/15), Manny Fox (1/29), Sandra
Golinski (1/29), Nancy Kilbane (1/16), Kevin Kilbane (1/5), Jim Kless (1/4), Pam Korenewych
(1/18), Terrie Leske (1/21), Joyce Lowe (1/9), Ann McBrian (1/4), Mary Molchan (1/25), Judy
Rubin (1/23), Richard Salisbury (1/1) and Benjamin Stock (1/30)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you all.
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE
January – March 2016
SKI TRIP: Sunday, January 3, 2016: Peek'n Peak, first trip of the 2016 season
SKI TRIP: Sunday, January 10, 2016: Holiday Valley
MEETING: Thursday, January 14, 2016, 7:00 PM: SSC Membership Meeting
SKI TRIP: Monday, January 18, 2016 (Martin Luther King Holiday): Holimont
EAT: Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 5:30 PM: Lure Bistro and Sushi Bar
SKI TRIP: Saturday, January 24 - Saturday, January 30, 2016: Keystone, Colorado
SKI TRIP: Wednesday, February 3, 2016: Seven Springs
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MEETING: Thursday, February 4, 2016, 7:00 PM: SSC Membership Meeting. (Please
note the change from the usual second Thursday of the month to the first Thursday to
accommodate the Two Day Ski Trip the following week). This is the Nominating Meeting
for Club Officers and will also feature a very special presentation on “The Edmund
Fitzgerald: What Really Happened?” See details below.
SKI TRIP: Sunday, February 7, 2016: Holiday Valley
SKI TRIP: Thursday, February 11 & Friday, February 12, 2016: Two Day Trip to
Holiday Valley & Bristol Mountain
SKI TRIP: Monday, February 15, 2016 (Presidents Day): Holimont
SKI TRIP: Sunday, February 21 - Saturday, February 27, 2016: Eastern Trip to Maine
SKI TRIP: Thursday, February 25, 2016: Holiday Valley
MEETING: Thursday, March 3, 2016, 7:00 PM: SSC Membership Meeting. This is the
Election Meeting for Club Officers. (Please note the change from the usual second
Thursday of the month to the first Thursday to accommodate the ski trip to Whistler the
following week).
SKI TRIP: Friday, March 4, 2016: Holimont - Skier Appreciation Day
SKI TRIP: Sunday, March 6 – Sunday, March 13, 2016: Whistler/Blackcomb, Canada
UPCOMING EVENTS IN MORE DETAIL
Thursday, January 14, 2016, 7:00 PM: Membership Meeting
The meeting begins at 7pm in the party room of Alfredo's at the Holiday Inn; 780 Beta Drive;
Mayfield Village 44143; (440) 461-9200. Beta Drive is only one intersection east of the exit for
Wilson Mills Road on I-271. Turn NORTH off Wilson Mills Road at the traffic light on to Beta
Drive. You will see a sign for the Holiday Inn as you make the turn.
As usual we will be meeting at 5:15pm for cocktails, food and socializing. If dinner is more than
you want, order an appetizer, a salad or even pizza. You will find us at the back of Alfredo’s.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016, 5:30 PM: EAT at Lure Bistro and Sushi Bar
Linda Nash and Shirley Angelo will be our hosts for this January Eat Around Town at Lure Bistro
and Sushi Bar. On Tuesdays Lure features half price Sushi and half off on Maki and Futo Maki
Rolls. The address is 38040 Third Street; Willoughby, OH 44094. It is located in downtown
Willoughby, just off Erie Street/Route 20. Euclid Ave. becomes Erie Street as it enters
Willoughby. If you have been to a previous EAT at Olivor Twist or to the Willoughby Brewing
Company, they are located on the opposite side of Erie Street. The phone # for Lure is 440-951-
8862. The web site is http://www.lure-bistro.com.
We will be sitting down to dinner at 6:30 PM. We have a reservation upstairs in the dining area
for up to 20 people. Lure has a Happy Hour from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. We plan to meet at the bar at
5:30 PM (or earlier!) to take advantage of the Happy Hour discounts. Parking is available on the
street and they also have valet parking.
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Please send an Email with your reservation to either Linda Nash [[email protected]] or Shirley
Angelo [[email protected]] before Sunday, January 17th.
Thursday, February 4, 2016, 7:00 PM: Membership Meeting
The meeting begins at 7pm in the party room of Alfredo's at the Holiday Inn; 780 Beta Drive;
Mayfield Village 44143; (440) 461-9200. Beta Drive is only one intersection east of the exit for
Wilson Mills Road on I-271. Turn NORTH off Wilson Mills Road at the traffic light on to Beta
Drive. You will see a sign for the Holiday Inn as you make the turn.
As usual we will be meeting at 5:15pm for cocktails, food and socializing. If dinner is more than
you want, order an appetizer, a salad or even pizza. You will find us at the back of Alfredo’s.
This is the Nominating Meeting for Club Officers. The Nominating Committee will be
presenting a slate of candidates. You can submit your name or suggest someone else to the
committee. You may also make a nomination from the floor at this meeting.
Our special guest speaker will be Carrie Snowden, the Archeological Director of the National
Museum of the Great Lakes, which is part of the Great Lakes Historical Society. She will present
some fascinating information about the freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank 40 years ago
during a ferocious November storm on Lake Superior, losing all 29 men aboard. Her talk, which
includes slides of some rarely seen photos, will focus on the conflicting theories about the cause
of this tragedy which remain active to this day. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about
this intriguing historical event.
Thursday, March 3, 2016, 7:00 PM: Membership Meeting
The meeting begins at 7pm in the party room of Alfredo's at the Holiday Inn; 780 Beta Drive;
Mayfield Village 44143; (440) 461-9200. Beta Drive is only one intersection east of the exit for
Wilson Mills Road on I-271. Turn NORTH off Wilson Mills Road at the traffic light on to Beta
Drive. You will see a sign for the Holiday Inn as you make the turn.
As usual we will be meeting at 5:15pm for cocktails, food and socializing. If dinner is more than
you want, order an appetizer, a salad or even pizza. You will find us at the back of Alfredo’s.
This is the Election Meeting for Club Officers. If you cannot be at the meeting, you will have
the opportunity to cast your absentee ballot before the meeting.
A WORD FROM OUR EAT COORDINATOR
We have had a great year in 2015 with some very successful Eat Around Town dinners. There
has been a lot of variety to fit everyone’s tastes and we have attempted to move around the
geography of Greater Cleveland. As we launch into the New Year, we will continue to offer an
interesting mix of places to share a dinner and socialize with friends. As you have seen in the
foregoing, we begin with this month’s EAT at Lure Bistro and Sushi Bar in Willoughby.
In February, Collette Gschwind will be our host at the Hofbrau House. The dates are not yet
determined but we are considering two Tuesdays, Feb 9th or the 16th. On March 23rd, Frank and
Sue Evan are leading us to the Coventry area of Cleveland Heights to sample the fare at Bodega.
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In April, on a date to be decided, Jack and Sandy Ganz will be setting up a wine tasting
complete with food at Shaker Wines & Spirits on Larchmere Blvd. in Shaker Heights.
Mary Ellen Noss, EAT Coordinator
CHANGE TO THE BYLAWS
At the Executive Board meeting on November 14, 2015, the Board voted to recommend to the
membership a change to the ByLaws. In light of the growth of SSC, the Board thought it would
be good to add a second at large member. Therefore, the EB is proposing a very simple change in
the ByLaws to facilitate this addition. The change will be voted on at the membership meeting on
January 14, 2016. If this change is approved, a second Member at Large can be nominated at the
February Nominating Meeting and voted on at the March Election Meeting. What follows are the
relevant two articles of the ByLaws with the proposed changes highlighted in yellow.
ARTICLE V: OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1: The officers of this club shall consist of a President, First Vice President, Vice
President for Data Base Management, Secretary, Treasurer and Two Members at Large. The
officers of the organization shall perform the duties prescribed for them in parliamentary authority
adopted by the organization. Election of new officers shall be held during the month of March.
The election may include proxy votes which may also be counted as part of the requirements for a
quorum. The term of office shall be one year from April 1 through March 31.
Section 2: A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Board during the month
of January. At the February meeting, a slate of officers shall be presented to the membership.
Additional nominations may be made from the floor. After the February meeting, a ballot listing
all nominated candidates shall be distributed to all members.
ARTICLE VIII: EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1: The Club shall be governed by an Executive Board which shall consist of the President,
First Vice President, Vice President for Data Base Management, Secretary, Treasurer, Two
Members at Large and an eighth voting member who shall be the immediate past President, First
Vice President, Vice President for Data Base Management, Secretary, Treasurer or Member at
arge, in that order, depending upon availability. Executive Board approval shall be defined as a
simple majority vote of the Executive Board.
Do you have a family member or a friend who would like to learn to ski? If so, we want to
call your attention to an incredible deal on our trips to Holiday Valley. We have four trips there
this season: Sunday, Jan 10th; Tuesday, Jan 26; Sunday, Feb 7th; and Thursday, Feb 25th. You
only have to add $6 to the cost of a Sunday trip or $20 if it is a weekday trip. For that small extra
payment you get a learn-to-ski package that provides the novice skier with rental skis, poles and
boots along with a group lesson and all day use of the beginner ski area. (A similar package at the
same price is available to someone who wants to learn to snowboard) If you sign up using our
club’s web site, simply find the Holiday Valley trip and scroll down under “Lessons” for the
learn-to-ski option.
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MORE FROM CLIFF ON USING THE WEBSITE TO RESERVE TRIPS
[Editor’s Note: What follows is another article from Cliff Lewis to assist us in using the website
to make on line reservations. You will see below that Cliff claims it is “quick and easy” but when
you first look at it, the multiple steps may appear daunting. However, those of us who have tried
it found it to be truly easy and simple. We recommend making a hard copy of this page and having
it at hand when you go on line. Of course, you can always contact Cliff if you run into a problem
or want to ask a question.]
New This Year:
Reserve and Pay for Trips On-Line
IT’S QUICK AND EASY! HERE’S HOW:
Visit our web site, https://www.suburbanskiclub.org. Scroll to the bottom of the page
to find the Member Log-In form. (Note: Members must log in to complete the
reservation process.)
Sign in to your account using your user name and password. (See directions below if
you have forgotten your user name or password.)
Use the menus to find the page for the trip you want to reserve.
Scroll down the page to find the options for the trip.
Select a preferred boarding location.
Optional: Check the boxes to add a lesson and/or rental.
Indicate your membership status.
Click Add to Cart.
Proceed to the checkout page (or continue shopping to add more trips)
The checkout page should show your address already filled in. Check that the
information is accurate.
Click Review Order
Verify the order information, then click Submit Order
Our site will connect you to a secure PayPal server, where you can enter your
payment information.
You will receive e-mail confirmations of your order and payment.
You are finished. Remember to add the event to your calendar. (Or subscribe to our
calendar to see all of our events on your calendar or phone:
https://www.suburbanskiclub.org/subscribe-our-calendar)
IF YOU FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD
If you have forgotten your password or you never activated your account, simply select the
option on the log-in form to request a new password. Enter your e-mail address, then click E-
mail New Password. Follow the directions in the e-mail you receive to set up a new password.
Contact Cliff Lewis, [email protected], if you need help.
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REPORT FROM TRIPS & TOURS
Our skiing program is getting
underway this month of January.
Elsewhere you have seen the 2016
schedule but I want to list for you
the trips this month and pass along
a way to contact the Trip Leaders
should you need to so. But, first, let
me take this opportunity to thank
them for volunteering to lead a trip.
I am sure you will find them all very
willing to help you with any special
concerns. So, please feel free to
reach out to them:
Jan 10: Holiday Valley. Frank Evan (440) 503-7089
Jan 18: Holimont (MLK Day). June Kelley (330) 310-7802
Jan 23-30: Keystone. John Danis (440) 796-0311
Jan 26: Holiday Valley. Melinda Kellerstrass (440) 237-9849
I also want to remind you how easy it is to sign up for a trip. There have been several previous
communications telling you about the new program that allows us to use our website to register
and pay for a bus trip. In fact, in this issue of the newsletter, Cliff Lewis has another article to help
you understand the process. You are still welcome to contact a Trip Leader but if all you want is
to sign up for a trip, go on line and get it done in a fast and efficient manner. This new system is
especially helpful if the trip is imminent and there is no time to do it the old fashioned way of snail
mailing a check and a registration form. (By the way, if you want to pay with a personal check,
you will also find a form on our website along with an address for mailing your check and form.)
Holiday Valley is open for skiing. The temperatures are favorable for making snow and they are
beginning to get some natural snow as well. We are confident they will have enough lifts and trails
open by January 10 to provide a good warm up session to kick off the season. Unfortunately, the
outlook wasn’t so favorable for Peek’n Peak on January 3 and we were forced to cancel that trip.
However, as you know, we have the most ambitious skiing program of any club in northeast Ohio
and we have plenty of upcoming skiing to make up for that cancellation.
Skiing Safety Tips
As I wrote in this space last month, I think it is important to discuss safe skiing and I told you I
would be writing about that this month. I have decided that rather than bore you with a list that
many of you may have seen dozens of times, I will simply refer you to a website that covers it all
and even provides a mildly amusing Safety IQ Test. (Don’t know about you, but I generally find
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ski humor only slightly better than golf humor, which is just not funny, and a lot better than
Saturday Night Live which borders on tragedy.) Check out www.snowlink.com.
Snow Conditions and Ski Reports
Many times in the past, we have been discouraged from skiing during the winter months by mild
or rainy weather here in the Cleveland area, while 100 to 150 miles to the east the temperatures
are 10 degrees lower and the snow is flying. How can we know where there is good skiing? There
are several websites for checking snow conditions, forecasts, base depths etc. for ski resorts
throughout North America. Two of the best that I have found are www.snowcountry.com and
www.onthesnow.com. So, the next time you’re trying to decide whether or not to go, check these
sites. They are thorough and quite accurate.
That’s all I have for this month. Next month, I hope to have several reports on successful trips
from our trip leaders. Come on out and be a part of our January skiing.
See you on the slopes.
John Danis, Chair of Trips and Tours
[email protected] or (440) 796-0311
THE 2015 HOLIDAY PARTY
The spirits of the holidays drew us once again to the shores of Lake Erie on Saturday night,
December 12th. There, at the Lakeside Yacht Club, SSC had our annual Holiday Party. The party-
goers were treated to an evening of cocktails, dining and dancing to the tunes of a three-piece band.
We also had a chance to win a prize from a wide array of gifts.
One of the high point of the evening was a performance by Melinda Kellerstrass and Jack Ganz
on their French horns. Then June Kelley joined in with her clarinet and we all got into the holiday
mood by singing a few seasonal melodies. In a kind of introduction to the horn duet, Cliff Lewis
sang “Ill Wind,” from the British comedy team of Flanders and Swan. The words were a parody
on the supposedly “ill wind” created by the French horn.
What follows is a photo essay compiled from pictures taken by the mutli-talented, Cliff Lewis.
The first photo of Cliff singing was captured by Joe Mersnik. Thanks, guys.
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Cliff Lewis put us all in the mood to hear the two French horns when he opened the program by
singing the comedy piece “Ill Wind” by the British Comedy duo of Flanders and Swan based on
Mozart’s Horn Concerto Number 4.
Jack Ganz and Melinda Kellerstrass played two pieces on their French Horns
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Jack and Melinda were joined by Elf June Kelley who
dusted off her clarinet from her old days with the
UConn Huskies Marching Band.
Check out those ears. You may recognize them if you
have traveled to the North Pole (Peninsula, OH) on The
Polar Express. June, her ears and her dog, Charlie, are
long-time favorites who have greeted the train as it
pulls into the North Pole.
The Sing A Long was led by Robin Spooner, Colette Gschwind, Joe Sullivan and President,
Beth Silverman. Jack, Melinda and June accompanied the singers. With backs to the camera,
that’s Sue & Frank Evan with song sheets in hand.
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Melinda Kellerstrass leads the gestures for
“Up On The Rooftop” to the delight of all
including Michele Boim in the foreground.
Cindy Bacon (back to camera)
appears to be
successful in
selling three of
the club’s new
vests to Franci
& Steve
Chmielewski and John
Hersch.
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Bruce
Eckstein (on
the left) and
Ed Noss are
anxious to
learn if they
have won
one of the
fabulous
prizes being
given away
that night.
First Vice President, Judy Stowe, is very excited because she has just heard that her dinner
companion, Jack Ganz, has been invited to audition for the Cleveland Orchestra as a result of
his fabulous horn performance earlier in the evening. In the background, Donna Stefano, is a bit
more restrained but just as happy for Jack.
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And, of course, there was dancing. In this photo (from left to right) Robin Spooner, Pam Fenn,
Nancy Lukens, Becky & Russ Marx, Donna Stefano and Pat Lewis can be seen strutting their
stuff.
